How They Met
by Ashtin Nightwalker
Summary: Prequel to the Mated Series! It's about how the other couples in Mated and Pregnant came together, their history. It starts with Bill and Draco, since they met first and will continue to Tony and David. I own nothing to do with Harry Potter! Warning: boyxboy, rated M for later chapters. Sorry, I suck at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a bonus chapter, about when Bill and Draco met. Some of you may remember that the two first saw each other when Draco was still a child, Bill was several years older. He knew instantly what the little blond wizard was to him but had to wait until Draco was an adult before making a single move. When your soulmate is within arms reach, would you be able to stay your hand for him/her? Even though they are your soulmate?**

**Bills POV**

I felt sick. The dusty attic smell mixed with death unsettled me. I found myself scowling at both the wizards and my alpha. Them, because they smelled so awful. Him, because he didn't let me just kill them. _They will be allies, _he said. _Keep other wizards at bay, _ he said. I don't believe a word of it. Even if some wizards could be trusted, it certainly wouldn't be these ones. They were traitors to their own kind! How could they do anything positive for our pack?

Speaking of the pack, they were hidding out in the caves behind us. Only a few hunters, Fenrir and myself were out here, surrounding the wizards. On their side it was Voldemort and four death eaters. One of his sumbag henchmen even brought his child. His child!

I was even scowling at the back of the kids head, hating that if this became a battle, he would probably end up dead. He seemed young enough that he wouldn't be a scumbag like his father. But then again, I couldn't really tell. He had his face buried into his fathers robes the entire time he was here. Poor kid. Even with the long distance between us, I could see him shaking violently. And his father ignored him. He didn't hold the kids hand or hug him or anything. Was he punishing the boy?

Fenrir carried on with Voldemort. I shifted my weight back and forth, eventually pacing around them. All of us hunters were agitated by their prescence. We've all been shifting constantly. All of us except Fenrir, of course. I made sure that once I was in his line of sight to glare at him. He knows I hate this plan of his. I have no problem showing it off either.

As I was walking, something happened. The little kid shifted his weight. He heard someones footsteps. Probably mine. Curiosity got the best of me as I kept my eyes glued to the flash of skin, shown just at his temple. I wanted to see his face. Perhaps he was much younger than he appeared in height. I wanted to know just how much of a bastard his father was, by bringing him out here.

After a moment, his head turned slightly. Just enough so he could peek out and look around. As soon as I saw those eyes, my breath and heart beat were stolen. This tiny little blond child robbed me of thought and froze the blood in my viens just by allowing me a glimse of his pale green eyes.

_Mate._ My mind uttered to itself, as my lips were left agap. The child didn't look at me. He hid his face again, causing my heart to start again, with an adrenaline rush. _Look this way,_ I wanted to call out to him. _Let me see your eyes again!_

As if he could hear my thoughts, his head turned. This time I saw his entire face, rather than a glimse of his left eye. He looked like an angel. His eyes were filled with such beautiful innocence. His skin was pale with red lips and pink cheeks as he flushed upon seeing me.

Although he didn't hide his face from me again, I could still tell he was afraid. I smiled at him, reasuringly. I even eased down into a crouch to bring myself to his height. Just so I would appear less threatening. After a moment, his fear started to ease. His lips twitched into the sweetest, innocent smile that warmed my heart. It throbbed with love for this child. I was without a doubt addicted to that smile. I knew that I would spend the rest of my life, trying to keep him smiling. It was just too beautiful. Too perfect.

My time with him wasn't enough. With in a few short minutes, Voldemort concluded his business with Fenrir. They turned to leave. Luckily, our forests were guarded with ancient magic. No wizard could apparate into our lands. They had to walk out if they wanted to go anywhere that way. Once the business was over and they turned to go, the child's father was harsh. He made a sharp turn, which knocked the boy to the ground. Even though his son had fallen, he walked with a brisk pace, as if he didn't care whether or not he followed. I didn't bother containing my bothered growl as I approached the boy.

When I knelt at his side, he gasped and jerked. His pale green eyes were wide with fear. I mourned for that but couldn't do much about it. Who knows what he thought of werewolves. I had no doubt that his father told him something cruel and false about us. Keeping my movements slow and calm, I offered him my hand. Those pretty eyes flickered between my hand and my face. Uncertain. With my best smile, I whispered down,

"I won't hurt you." His head cocked to his head in confusion. It was singlehandedly the most adorable thing I've ever seen. He glanced over at his fathers retreating back. For a moment, I worried he would run off and never come back. To be honest, I didn't want our meeting to be over yet.

After a brief second of thought, he looked back at me.

"You don't look like an animal." He stated in an uncertain whispered. His voice was a delicate bell. Ringing softly and gently.

"I'm not an animal. None of us are." I assured him. It was just then that his father decided to acknowledge his sons existance by barking,

"Draco!" I felt my heart stutter and crack at the intense fear that flashed over his face. When he jumped to his feet, he rushed forward.

"Coming, Father." I followed him closely. I liked that instead of becoming glued to his fathers side again, he hung back and stayed by my side. I silently thanked the goddess that our borders were a few miles off. It would be a long time before we reached them.

"What's your name?" His innocent bell of a voice asked carefully. His cheeks turned a brighter shade of pink as he blushed.

"My name's Bill." I answered quietly. Little Draco smiled at this.

"I'm Draco. Malfoy." It was cute how he introduced himself, adding his last name. It was sweet, even though it bothered me a little bit more. His father is Lucious. A pompous coward. He abused what little power he had over those that he could. It worried me because I knew his child would be the first to fall victim to that. I prayed he would never seriously hurt Draco. I'd rather he ignore his son all day long than raise a single hand toward him.

"How old are you?" He continued, oblivous to my slightly trouble thoughts.

"16. How old are you?" I returned easily. The wizards in front of us began climbing a rather steep slope. The wolves around us (on guard duty) jumped up easily. I looked down at Draco who was climbing almost literally, with his hands on the ground and everything. I chuckled as his feet slid, having trouble getting up the steep wet hill.

"Here." I stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and watched as I sunk to my knees and jerked a thumb behind me. "Climb on." I ordered.

I'll be damned if that boy didn't just grin ear to ear. I didn't bother surpressing a quiet yet joyous laugh at this. He wiped his muddy hands on his knees and scrambled up my back like a monkey. Once his arms were secure around my shoulders, I climbed up the slope, carrying him. It was easy for me. Werewolves are very strong, we have a lot of stamina.

"I'm 10. By the way." He mumbled to me. I felt a nice comfort warm me again as his words breathed on my ear. He was older than I thought. He'll be a young adult soon. He seemed so cute, innocent and small, I took him to be a little younger.

"Father says you aren't good. He says bad things about you." Draco mumbled as his head came to rest on my shoulder. I couldn't care less about what the coward Lucious has for an opinion to be honest. The only interest I held for this subject was the fact that it seemed to bother Draco.

"What do you think?" I asked carefully, keeping as much distance between the wizards and myself. I didn't want them to hear anything said between Draco and I. God knows what those scumbags might do if they knew what was going on.

"I know you aren't an animal, even though thats what Father says. He said you were unci... civa... chized?" I chuckled at this. Everything about this boy was just too cute.

"I think he said 'uncivilized'." Draco shifted as I corrected him.

"Yeah, thats what he said. I don't know what it means, but I don't think its true." Outright laughing, I nodded to him. I enjoyed the fact that because of his age and innocents, he held no prejudices or judgments. He looked scared earlier, because of what his father told him about us. But as soon as he had proof it was wrong, he seemed to abondon those thoughts.

"You're right. That word isn't true about us."

It went on like that straight to the border. The wizards never looked back to see that I carried Draco on my back the entire way. I found that the boy loved to laugh and smile. He was adorable as he made sure to tell me he thought I was a good person and that all the things he thought before about werewolves were wrong. I was careful to never utter a single word against wizards and only corrected the opinions of his father to the truth. I liked how he was, without any prejudice and hoped he stayed that way for a long time.

One thing that was clear was his heart. Draco didn't hold an ounce of hate, despite who his family was and the company they kept. He was a sweet child who wore his heart on his sleeve. Childhood is a wonderful thing. I hoped he enjoyed it for as long as possible. I also hoped to see him again. I felt doom as we approached the border. I listened to him talk, remembering every single word for a little under an hour and I couldn't get enough of it. I was sad, knowing he had to leave.

I was also scared that he had to leave with his father. He may be a child, but he is my mate too. Right now, I could only love him as he was, a child. I would do whatever I could to be a best friend or a brother to Draco, content to have that sort of relationship with him. There was no desire in my heart above that. This included protectiveness. I want him safe, no matter what. I didn't consider his family safe. Perhaps he had a mother who could protect him from an abusive father. But who would be there to protect him from harsh words and false claims? Who would be there to protect his innocent childhood and pure heart?

Within a certain distance of the border, I eased him down on his own feet. I was right to think he had a pure and innocent heart. It was further proved to me as his tiny hand pushed its way into the center of my palm and held it. My hand was so large to his, it was enveloped completely in my gentle fist.

"I dont wanna leave, Bill. You're really fun." He whispered to me quietly after a long moment of silence. He knew it was almost time to go. I looked down and saw a genuine pout. His hand gripped mine tighter. Reaching down with my other hand, I ruffled his hair.

"I know. I'm sure you'll be able to come back." I told him although I had no idea if his father would even be back, let alone bring his child along again. Draco looked up at me with wide puppy eyes.

"If we come back... Can we play again?" His delicate voice was a quivering whisper. Glancing at the wizards real quick, I decided they weren't going to look back for a few minutes. I dropped to my knees and pulled him into a hug.

"Of course, Draco. We can play whenever you want."

Each step further was a steady pressure on my heart. I had no idea when or if they would find reason to be here again. I prayed as hard as I could that they would. Once they crossed the border, I had no choice but to let Draco's small hand slip from my grip. His steps to his fathers side were slow and dragged. I took his turned back as an opprotunity to glare at Lucious. Although his face was masked, I remembered which one had to be him. He ignored me completely and instead had his gazed fixed upon his slow walking son. The last thing I saw was Dracos sad little eyes as his father grabbed his shoulder roughly and they vanished into black smoke.

"You shouldn't get attached to the kid, Bill." Fenrir spoke truthfully. I didn't jump but I was certainly surprised. I didn't know he was there or for how long. He probably followed us the entire way, listening to everything we, or rather Draco talked about.

"He's my mate, Fenrir. Or he's going to be." I told him truthfully. Fenrir was my best friend and my alpha. I hid nothing from him because I had no reason to.

"Then I am truly sorry for you my friend." This came with a slap to my shoulder. I listened to his retreating footsteps as I stared into empty space where Draco's scared face used to be.

_Let him be safe. Let him come back to me. _I prayed for him, my Draco.

**I hope this story works out for you guys. Please, let me know what you think!**

**Ashtin**


	2. Chapter 2

**Bills POV**

I threw myself into my work, hard. I gave myself patrol duty every single day and gave some of the hunters more days off. I need the distraction badly. It had been several weeks since everything changed. Nearly three weeks since the worlds most beautiful green eyes met mine. Three long, painful weeks since my mate disappeared in the clutch of an abusive coward. I'd been tense to say the least.

At the end of my current shift, I walked back to the caves, dragging my steps with my head hung low. I had exhausted my body beyond its limits, avoiding my fears and lonliness. Even though I was tired enough to sleep in a river, I still couldn't stop my churning thoughts. Draco's angelic face was ever present in my mind. I thought of the things he talked about, I thought of his smile. Most of all, I thought of his eyes when he was scared.

The very last glimse I had of his face was when he was afraid. My little Draco was afraid. I longed to have him back. I wanted him to feel safe. That Lucious wasn't fit to protect and care for him. He didn't have a heart. No one was fit for it. More often then not, I felt I was the only person on earth good enough to ensure Draco was well protected.

My prayers were answered soon though. After three weeks of painful waiting and longing, he came back to me. My alpha had seen how miserable I was becoming and found a reason for Voldemort to come back, with his death eaters. I'll admit, having any of them around was almost as bad as not having Draco around at all... almost.

When the wizards approached, Draco looked everywhere for me and beamed at me with a stunning grin. He wasn't afraid of us anymore. This warmed me from the inside out.

I didn't bother waiting for anything. Once Voldemort got to talking, I circled around the group, unnoticed by everyone but Draco. His smiling eyes were glued to mine. And once I was directly behind them, Draco carefully looked up at his father, took off his shoes and tip-toed through the grass to my side. I carefully swallowed my chuckles. He was a sneaky one.

"How are you, Draco?" I asked him once we were away from the caves. There was a nice path down to the largest lake on our lands. It was easy for his little body to walk, so I didn't have to carry him. Although, I wouldn't care if it was nessicary.

"I'm great. Father says we will be here a long time, so we can play for longer!" I didn't bother surpressing my laughs. Draco laughed with me. Somehow, I had the feeling that people barely even smiled around him, let alone laughed.

"Of course. We can do whatever you want." I assured him. His answering grin made everything worth it.

"Where does this path go?" He wondered, pausing to kick the solid dirt.

"To the lake." Draco looked up at me with excitement in his eyes as I spoke. I couldn't help but grin back. Seeing him happy... it made me happy too.

"There's a lake this close to your house? That must be so cool, you can go swimming all the time! I know how to swim but I can't do it real well. Father doesn't like me swimming. He says it makes me filthy. But sometimes Mother lets the house elf take me down to a river while Father is at work..."

I happily listened to the boy chatter on about everything that came to his mind with almost no input from myself. It was cute how he changed once we were away from the wizards. When he first comes here, he's quiet and stiff, like a miniature adult. But once he came away with me, he became the child he should be. I liked knowing how free he can be around me. Draco probably doesn't notice, just because he's a child.

It took quiet a long time to get to the end of the path. Mostly because Draco would notice something about the forests and stop to examine whatever it was. I don't think I've ever laughed so much in a single day as I did with him around. Everything he did was a reason to smile and laugh. I could only hope I was as good company for him as he was for me. I think I must be, seeing how he hasn't stopped smiling. Good. Draco deserves to smile.

At the lake, Draco gasped. His pretty pale eyes were glued to the water. I smiled at this too, knowing he probably has never seen such a pretty sight. The water of the lake was crystal clear and as smooth as glass. In the bright morning sun, the surface reflected the woods and sky like a mirror. It was beautiful. It was perfect.

"Do you want to go down to the water?" I asked in a quiet whisper. Draco nodded slowly to this, never taking his wide eyes off the scenery. I carefully reached down and took his hand. His fingers instantly curled around the side of my palm and followed me, although his eyes were still frozen on the beauty before him.

"Will Father know? If we went swimming?" Draco wondered out loud in a nearly silent whisper. His eyes were worried now and he bit his lip.

"I don't think so." I answered, refusing to take my eyes off him. Such a beautiful child. And he had no idea what a perfect angel he is. He's pure in every sense of the word. Some part of me wanted to steal him away and keep him so innocent and uncorrupt forever. But that part of me would just have to get use to disappointment. My mate will never be locked away. He will be as free as a bird, no matter what.

Draco still worried though. The desire to go swimming was as plain on his face as if he were yelling to the sky how much he wanted to play in the water. But his father was keeping him from enjoying himself. Breathing a sigh, I crouched next to Draco so I would be at his height. When he looked at me, I could see exactly how much effort he put into that simple motion. It was torn.

"Well, if you think its a bad idea to go swimming, then we won't. But there are some nice rocks further up that stream," I gestured towards it. "Perhaps if you really want to play in the water, you can sit on a rock and put your feet in the water."

I recommended this mostly because I remember doing that with Fenrir when I was a child. When I turned up in pack lands as a toddler, barely more than 5 years old, I was taken in by the wolves. Fenrir was a self appointed big brother at the time. He was 12 at the time and wasn't allowed to take me swimming. He also suggested what I did and we would spend hours on those rocks with our toes in the water, playing games and doing all the things little boys do. They were some of my favorite childhood memories.

Draco paused to think about the idea. After a moment or two, he slowly began to nod. "If I take off my shoes and roll up my pants, Father won't find out."

Each time that man held my mate back from doing the things he wished, I had to grit my teeth to keep from getting too frustrated. I led Draco up the stream, to the bend where the water turned white has it churned over the rocks. Large boulders were scattered behind the little waterfall. These were perfect for children to sit or go swimming without getting too close to the fall. As Draco was kicking off his shoes and socks, I carefully rolled his pants up his skinny, pale legs.

Being a wolf, I was wearing shorts and no shoes so once Draco was ready, I walked out into the water with him. Nervous that he might slip on some of the small pebbles that lined the bottom, I kept my hands on his waist, ready to catch him. We made it to a low but dry boulder in the center of the river. Once there, I lifted him up. His little legs were just long enough to put his feet in.

And his face! He was so happy to be in the water. He grinned as he leaned over to watch his toes wiggle just below the surface. I could resist reaching out and ruffling his blond hair which was slicked back, ridiculously. Draco laughed and reached up, trying to give me the same treatment. He couldn't quite reach so his fingertips merely touched my cheek and jaw line. I hummed my delight as I closed my eyes and leaned into the touch.

As I lowered myself slightly, Draco could reach better. His other hand came up and I held my breath as his small fingers explored my face. His fingertips traced my nose and eyebrows, smoothing over my cheeks and grazing over my lips. It felt nice. Draco was interested in my face and I felt amazing.

"I like you, Bill." His delicate voice whispered as his hands came to a stop, just on the edges of my face. I opened my eyes to see complete joy in Draco's eyes. I took his hands very gently in mine and held them against my cheeks.

"I like you too, Draco." Something shifted in his eyes when I said that. It was almost like he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I wanted to do something to comfort him... if that was what he needed. I couldn't even tell if he was upset. So I remained still and waited. I trusted my mate to tell me what was wrong. Show me what I had to do to make him happy again.

Instead, Draco let his hands fall away. He turned slightly so he could slide across the rock, hiding his face from me. Somewhere deep inside I knew this should bother me. I should be worried that Draco didn't want me to see the look in his eyes. But somewhere else inside, I knew he struggled with something. Maybe because of how young and innocent he was, he didn't quiet understand. For now, I will simply let him be a child and try not to confuse him any more than he already was.

So I sat down next to him. I let him play in the water and tried to teach him how to skip rocks in the smoothest parts of the river. We played little games Fenrir made up for me long ago. And just like Fenrir did, I let Draco win nearly every time. I say nearly because Draco was too smart. After a while he was bored with winning all the time and called me out on the fact that I let him. So, just a few times, for Draco, I won.

As time passed slowly, the day shifted. I worried that Draco would start to get hungry or tired. Its a long day for a child and he was already so thin! But when I tried to suggest leaving to get food, Draco's eyes turned so sad that I stopped talking immediately. I decided that a little while longer couldn't hurt. Perhaps giving him some more time to play in the water would be okay... as long as I made sure he ate later.

Although he didn't want to leave for anything, Draco couldn't hide that he was, in fact, tired. After a few minutes, he sat down and leaned back, those pretty eyes drooping slightly. They watched the water, watching in pass. An idea popped into my head as I took in Draco's tired yet watchful eyes. I walked to other rocks, ones that weren't good for sitting and thrust my hands into the water, feeling around the bases. I felt around the bottom of the river, searching for something.

It was difficult to find seeing how what I was looking for was rare. It shouldn't be in the rivers but sometimes we find the things. The made reason its hard to really locate is because not only is the object distorted in the flowing river, it feels as smooth as any other rock. The only way you could find it was to locate the jagged, rough edges of the object. Thats what I felt for at the base of each and every boulder. Eventually I found one and I pulled it from the water with triumph. I held it up to the sun, deciding that Draco would like the gift.

I went back to Draco with the object. His eyes were more closed than they were open. His breathing was slowing down and his arms could barely hold him up. I sat down next to him and slipped an arm under his shoulders, taking his weight off his arms. He blinked his confusion but after a few moments sat up slightly to lean against me. He sighed as his head came to rest on my shoulder.

"I have something for you." I whispered down, my voice barely carrying over the gentle hum of water as it passed. Before Draco could say anything, I carefully pushed the object into his palm.

It was a flat rock. Or at least it was a flat chip of a rock. It was barely bigger than Draco's palm. The edges were black and jagged but on the smooth sides, it looked like glass or crystal. There was a white ring just under the black but the closer to the center the disc like object got, the dark it became. What really made it amazing is that the glass/crystal part was purple.

Draco's hands were weak with how tired he was. He kept leaning against me but I watched as his little fingers felt the rock all over. They trembled over the jagged edges and traced the white lines and bends in color over the flat part. It was completely smooth but Draco's soft fingers drew pictures in the existing color.

"Thank you." He whispered the 'you' as an exhaled sigh. His body eased into a limp state slowly as he fell asleep.

I wrapped my arms around the small child. He never woke, not even when I lifted him up and carried him from the water. Draco's arms reached up to wrap around my shoulders and neck but otherwise remained motionless.

We were out there late into the day. The few hours we had though were more than fun. I'd never forget how absolutely beautiful and pure my mate was today. The image of his laughing face as he put his toes in the water, with the sunlight reflecting off the water into his eyes would be forever branded into my mind.

I found my way back home easily. Each step was slow and unwanted. I knew without a doubt that Draco had to be back there. But I still didn't like knowing he would have to leave me when we got there. So I walked with a sense of dread and held him closer, inhaling his scent and commiting his warmth to memory. I want to remember exactly how good it felt to hold and protect him, especially when he was no longer near.

No matter how slow I tried to walk, I still had to get home sometime. I stepped into the clearing quietly, not really making a sound. Still, once I cleared the trees, things moved. Voldemort and his death eaters were still here. But they clearly knew I left with the child because as soon as I was in sight, they all whirled around, pointing their wands at my chest... which cradled my sleeping mate.

I halted and growled loudly. Draco flinched awake and looked around in fear as his arms tightened and he clung to me. Wolves around me growled, shifted and threatened to attack the wizards, yet everyone held still. My eyes easily found Lucious. He was side stepping away from the wizards. I could feel his hate radiating even though his face was still carefully masked.

"Draco!" He yelled in a detested, clipped tone. Draco flinched again and trembled against me. I growled again, at Lucious. He frightens my mate.

"Come here, Draco!" He ordered. Tears filled Draco's eyes as his arms clung to me all the tighter.

I carefully lowered his barefeet to the ground, despite his protests. My chest rumbled loudly as I pushed Draco behind me. I hid him from the sight of his coward of a father.

"Bill. Stand down." A deep voice ordered. I froze under the force of my alphas command. I couldn't move. Hell, it felt like I couldn't breath! Draco's hands grabbed at my arms. He tried to get me to move. My eyes filled with tears at this. I kept telling myself to move. To kneel down and hold him, keep him safe. But my muscles locked into place and my mate was left alone without protection right in front of me.

"Bill?" His voice broke as his hands tugged on my limbs. I felt his fingers shoved their way into my palm and desperately tried to take my hand. Anger and depression bubbled inside me as my own fingertips remained numb. I couldn't even hold his hand. I yelled at my hand to simply close but not a muscle would move.

I watched helplessly as Lucious darted foward and wrapped a long hand around Draco's arm. While my mate did not resist his father, he remained facing me, his worried eyes questioning. Every fiber of my body screamed silently as I watched him go, his father dragging him along the entire way, yelling at him. The wizards disappeared into the woods.

I had no idea Fenrir was anywhere near me until I felt his heavy hand grab my shoulder. I crumpled to the ground with a pained gasp, all my tears finally pouring down my face. My entire body ached and my chest felt stiff and numb. As if I had been screaming at the top of my lungs for an hour.

As I gasped for air and stuggled to think through my pain, Fenrir kneeled down next to me. He held tight to my biceps, keeping me on the ground. My chest was splitting in two as Draco's scared face played over and over again in my mind. Moaning, I settled back on my heels, my face dropping into my hands.

"I'll never see him again." I groaned, tears spilling into my palms.

"He'll be back, Bill." Fenrir tried comforting me, slapping my shoulders. This sent a red spark to my fragile emotions and set me off. I twisted and shoved his chest hard, throwing him back several feet. I was already on mine.

"Why did you do that? That monster cannot take care of him. Why did you make me sit there and watch him take my mate away? Did you see how scared he was !?" I screamed and hollared at my alpha, not giving a damn about the consequences. Everything was on fire and my vision turned red.

"It's for the best." Fenrirs words slipped through my angry haze.

"It's for the best!? Are you out of your fucking mind!? Th-"

"He needs to be with his father-"

"Lucious Malfoy does not qualify as a father! He's an abusive coward!"

"Still." Fenrir said this with his alpha voice which caused me to freeze again. I wanted to scream my frustration. Or better yet, take it out on Fenrir. That sounded really good right now. "He may not have the best of parents, he needs to be with his family. He's just a child, Bill."

Fenrir touched my arm again, unfreezing me. I didn't collapse this time but I did sink to a knee.

"Fenrir, I know he is a child. I know I can't touch him until he in an adult, but I don't care. I just want to keep him safe, Fenrir. I thought you would at least understand that."

**What do you guys think? I'm trying to make it go fast so I can get started on Dave and Tony soon. Please review!**

**Ashtin**


	3. Chapter 3

**Bill's POV**

Rather than wait for something to happen, this time I was more active in pursuing Draco. Fenrir was now requested to leave pack lands and meet with Voldemort elsewhere. When I heard this I prepared an entire speech in my mind to basically beg Fenrir to let me join him. But it wasn't nessicary in the end. Before I got a single word out of my mouth, he told me that as his beta, it would be very appropriate for me to join him, since I had influence on the packs wellbeing.

And this time, I would behave differently with Draco. Rather than trying to steal minutes and hours, I want him with me where he will be safe. I don't think I would feel this strongly about it if his family was actually suitable enough to care for him. If he was looked after and loved, I could easily wait until Draco was ready for a relationship, when he is an adult. I could live with myself even though he would probably be far away most of the time. But those weren't the circumstances.

Its strange to think of how different things would turn out if Lucious actually loved his son. If he was a good father and took care of him, how different would this be? Would I go weeks, months without seeing Draco? Would I be okay with that, knowing he is just living his childhood and I'll have more than enough time to be with him when he is an adult? Would his father accept me for what I am, knowing that I'd never hurt his child? Would he accept that there is no other person in the world who could love and care for Draco as much as I can? Would Draco accept me as a mate, as a husband when the time comes?

The questions made my head spin and my heart ache. That vision is so much better than reality. In that vision, Draco is safe and we are both happy. I can't imagine a better heaven than that. A heaven more perfect.

When Voldemort called for Fenrir again, I was ready to leave. The mansion he was staying was nearby and legally belonged to Lucious so I knew Draco had to be there. Somewhere in the huge house or the massive grounds at least. I'd find him and ask him to come away with me. It was a lot to ask a child. In normal circumstances he was too young to leave his parents but it was just so unsafe with them. Besides, the wolf pack will take care of him. They took me in when I was half his age. The only way I can possibly come back without my mate is if he orders me away. Nothing else will stop me from ensuring his safety.

Fenrir and I shifted towards our wolf forms and we ran many miles to the manor. To a human this journey would have taken at least two days on foot. But to us, it barely took an hour. With each step, I felt more and more excited. The idea that Draco could be coming home with me played constantly in my mind. I found myself imagining him in pack life. Perhaps one of the families were adopt him. Will children want to play with him? Would he mind the heavy work load that comes with being a pack member? Because there are plenty of us, its usually not that hard but Draco probably hasn't worked a lot in his life. Would he adjust well to that?

I can't say we were welcomed at the manor. But at least the doors opened when Fenrir hammered on it. I could hear the echoing boom even from outside the house. The second we entered, the hair on the back of my neck rose. Everyone was staring at us with hostility. Most of the people standing around seemed to be death eaters with masks. There were also a handful of maids cleaning the already spotless house. They glared too.

"This way." A death eater commanded with a rude voice. Fenrir nodded to him and beaconed him to lead. I followed just as easily but I was looking around in a manner that borderedline frantic. I was hoping to catch a glimse of Draco somewhere, anywhere. I doubt Lucious would allow him to witness the proceedings now but one can only hope.

"Bill, pay attention." Fenrir whispered back to me, giving me a hard look. I frowned, knowing what that was meant for. I kept my eyes on his back as we were lead to a dark hall. It looked like a black demented ballroom really. Dark stone tiles lead to black wooden walls. Sickly looking wax candles hung in fixtures on the walls as well as on candle stands throughout the room, burning a green flame. Several cloaked death eaters waited for us. Voldemort sat on a black throne that shimmered, as if it were made from evil souls.

"Ah, Greyback. I see you brought your beta, despite the trouble he has caused dear Lucious." The snake commented when he saw me, gesturing to the man to his right. Good, now I knew where the coward was, I could openly glare at him.

"Yes. As beta, its important to include him on pack decisions." Fenrir easily rattled the fact off. I barely bothered trying to contain my smug grin.

I was surprised to see Lucious reach up and remove his skull mask in a burst of smoke. His ugly mug smirked back. I instantly wished he put that mask back on. Just about any face would be better than this face.

"My lord, their alpha does have a point." Lucious started, turning to Voldemort. "As his second in command and as yours, our prescence is absolutely nessicary, especially concerning... future decisions."

His words suggested he was supporting me. But his voice said the complete opposite. He didn't want me anywhere near his lands, let alone allowed in his home. Yet, for some reason, I had to be here. Thinking of Draco, I became angry. If he thought he could keep Draco from me, he was dead wrong. Perhaps he wanted me to suffer by dangling his son in front of me as if I can't take him away.

"Quiet, Lucious." Voldemort hissed. "Get me the contracts. As we discussed, Greyback, you are required to sign these papers. All they say is that in return for your services to me, I provide protection when it is nessicary. You are welcome to read them but I assure you, that is what they mean."

I was fully prepared to start spacing out again. As much as we argued for my prescence, I actually didn't need to be there. While Fenrir was CEO, I was only the manager. According to pack law, I don't make any decisions. All I do is protect and support the pack in Fenrir's absence. But any thing I could end up deciding to do is actually something Fenrir would do. The thing is, I don't think for myself when it comes to this pack. Until I am an alpha (which I have no desire to be), it's my duty to think as my alpha wou.d

Something happened though. Before I could space out and start ignoring these boring conducts. An invisible door opened to my left. It scraped on the tile floor and the footsteps I heard were strange. Instead of the heavy boots of an adult, I heard the near silent patterning of barefeet. Time slowed as my mind registered that sounds that quiet could only be made by a child.

Color seemed to drain from my vision. My heart beat thundered each second in my ears. Everything was frozen as I turned. I had no reason to react with dread and fear. But the second that door opened, everything felt wrong. Something was wrong and my emotions were intense as a response. My mind was completely still and I couldn't think of a reason... until I saw the owner of the footsteps.

It was Draco, as my mind seemed to have guess. He was wearing dark baggy pants that hung over his bare feet. He wore a gray shirt that almost hung off one shoulder and would extend further than his hands if they weren't holding a thick roll of parchment. I felt my nose flare as I desperately scented the air, searching for his smell. In the poor light, I didn't see what was truly wrong until he approached his father.

His eyes were dark and sad. As if he might start crying at any second. His little hands trembled as he lifted the parchment which suddenly appeared to be far too heavy for his delicate fingers. His father snatched in away and he flinched. Shivers wreck at his frame for a few moments. When he looked up towards Lucious' face, he appeared to shed a tear even though Lucious had already turned away. My heart clenched at this sight and my blood froze.

Draco carefully backed away and his eyes found mine. I knew the terror there. I knew something was wrong. Everything was completely and utterly frozen even though my soul screamed, wanting to know what was wrong. Draco took several steps, turning so I saw the otherside of his face. Everything shattered as I laid eyes on a red, purple bruise marring his perfectly pale cheek.

"You motherfucker!" I screamed as I shifted into a wolf, hell bent on making Lucious pay for laying a single hand on my mate. It was him, I knew it down to the center of my soul. All that I had seen had supported it anyway but I knew. I knew!

Before I could launch myself at the scum, Fenrir tackled me into the tile floor. He is much stronger as a human than anyone realized. His arm was across my shoulders, forcing me down. He yelled, ordering me. I could hear his alpha voice but my rage blocked it. Someone threatened and harmed my mate. God couldn't hold me back if he wanted to.

"Bill!" The only voice I could hear was Draco's. I turned my eyes to him. He was all I could see, all I could hear. I watched as my precious, wounded angel hurried to my side and wrapped his arms around my neck. As a wolf, I couldn't properly hold him but I sat back and used my weight to push him down to his knees, where I could use my size to almost engulf him. My paws were hooked around him, keeping him snuggled to my warm belly.

"It's okay, Billy. I'm safe. I'm safe, it's okay. You're here now. You can take care of me and keep me safe, I know it." Draco said this all in a shaky whisper. His tiny fist held tangles of my fur as he buried his face into my chest.

As I pulled away, I noticed that one of the sleeves had fallen to his elbow where I could clearly see several more bruises. I couldn't contain my roar as I wildly searched for Lucious. In my rage I couldn't find him. The death eaters were swarmed around Voldemort, their masks up. If Lucious was even still in the room, I'd never find him.

"Draco, I won't take you from your home. But you are welcome to come live with us." I could hear Fenrir whispering to Draco. I growled at him. "If your family is hurting you, we will provide you with a safe home."

It was more than unlikely that I was leaving without the small quivering child, hidden in my fur. There was no way in hell I'd be seperated from him now. They'd have to kill me to get me to leave his side and I won't be easy to take down.

"But my mother, my father... This is my home." He whimpered. His voice was thick with tears and muffled by my fur. Although almost my entire wolf body was practically wrapped around him, Fenrir reached around my limbs and patted my tiny mates back.

"I know Draco. We don't want to see you hurt anymore." I worried that not all of this was getting to him. He seems to be a very bright little boy but even smart people were too young to understand everything at some point. Was he too young?

"I can live with Bill and the other wolves? In the caves?" Draco sniffled as he twisted around, trying to see Fenrir. I detangled myself just enough for that. My alpha nodded.

"Yes. You can come with us and stay as long as you want." Fenrir promised him. Ignoring everyone else in the room, I stood and paused, waiting for Draco to stand on his own. Once his little feet were placed firmly, I began nudging him, guiding him toward the exit.

"Wait, can I say goodbye to my mother? She will worry about me." The boy asked, looking to me rather than Fenrir. I nodded without question and followed him as he dashed to other doors. Luckily this huge house had their doorways built large because I had no intention of dropping my guard by shifting back into a human.

Draco's mother was a tall, pale, guant looking woman. She was dressed in a long black dress and her hair pinned into elaborate curls. Rather than pale green eyes, like her husband and child, she had piercing blue. They were filled with fear when she saw me as her mouth formed a perfect red O, from her lipstick.

"Mother. Bill and Fenrir have come to take me away, back to live with the werewolves." Despite the situation, I allowed Draco's excited tone to charm my heart just a little.

"Werewolves? What makes you think I'm going to let you live with a bunch of animals?" I growled at her (secretly swelling with pride when she flinched and Draco did not).

"They aren't animals, mother." He said from her arms. "They're just as human as the rest of us. I want to live with them."

His mother guided him away from me and knelt down in front of him, her eyes level with his. Her hands held his shoulders and forced him to look back.

"But what will your father say, Draco? What about Hogwarts? You were so excited to go."

"You know what father said. He said I was lower than a house elf, being friends with a werewolf. But Bill is my best friend! He's going to take care of me, I know he will." Draco stretched up to try and wrap his arms around his mother's neck. She returned the hug, her eyes filling with tears.

"I love you mother. You're the only one I don't want to leave behind but you're safe here. Father wouldn't hurt you. He loves you." My wolf senses picked up my mates whisper easily. The words were almost enough to break my heart. I can only imagine what Draco must be feeling. I continued to hope he was too young to really absorb all of this. If he were any older, this would kill him.

I looked away and swallowed my tears, trying to find my anger again and hold it. Anything to keep strong to keep Draco.

**Sorry it takes so long to hammer these chapters out. I hope they are good enough to make the wait worth it! And of course, as always, please review!**

**Ashtin**


	4. Chapter 4

**Bill's POV**

I let Draco have every precious second he could with his mother. Although I trusted her no more than I did Lucious, she never hurt her son. She was just too weak to protect him. When she held her son, it was clearly meant to be for the last time. My Draco didn't cry but her tears fell unchecked into his shining blond hair. We both knew that Draco may never see her again. When he pulled away, his mother wiped her tears and kissed his forehead.

"Be good, Draco. Stand your ground, don't let anyone bully you, okay?" She told him. My little mate nodded and kissed his mothers cheek for the last time before turning to me. Without an ounce of fear, Draco approached my side, and put a hand deep in the fur at my left shoulder.

"Just one more thing, Billy." His gentle voice told me as he started to walk from the room... with his hand still at my shoulder. If we weren't in such a place as this, under these circumstances, I might have laughed. This little boy, barely ten years old had a huge, monsterous wolf following him like a puppy on a leash. And I didn't mind in the least bit.

Draco led me to his bedroom, buried deep in the mansion. I hesitated by the door, staring into a large room. It was so big that even the huge pieces of dark wood furniture didn't do anything for the emptiness of it. All I could do was look around the space, devot of any home, comfortable feeling and think, my mate sleeps here? Its so empty and lonely. Again, I found myself mourning the horrible conditions my mate had suffered.

I watched him hurry to his bed and get down on the floor. His tiny body wiggled under the bed easily and came back with a green stuffed animal. A tiny dragon with ugly red eyes. Of course, Draco didn't say much about it. By the way he hugged it, it was clearly a beloved childhood toy.

"Do I need anything else, Bill?" His soft voice asked as he came close. I could see it in his face, my mate was scared and confused. It was far too early to leave home from him but at the same time, he understood he couldn't be there anymore. I dipped my head to nuzzle his hair with my nose, comforting.

"I take it as a no." Draco whispered, stepping close to me again. One hand on my shoulder and the other clutching his dragon.

As we left, I didn't see another wizard. Which was a good thing. I don't know if I could have restrained myself from killing in front of Draco if one showed up. The dark red bruise on his face infuriated me to no end. At the same time, I was somewhat glad that I saw it. After all, if for whatever reason I had missed the bruise than his abuse could have carried on for days, weeks. My mate could have been the victim of a coward for years before I ever found out.

I walked with him to the front door of the mansion. We only paused long enough for Draco to put on a pair of running shoes. Once he was ready, we stepped out into the day light, finding Fenrir waiting for us there. He stared at me with a strange look. I couldn't decide if he were disappointed or relieved for whatever reason. Either way he said nothing to me.

We walked away from Malfoy Manor for a good half mile into the forests surrounding it. Putting a lot of distance between us. Fenrir remained in his human form but I was still too angry to shift back, even if I didn't, I would have prefered to remain a wolf. If I distrusted the wizards before my mate, it was worse now.

"Draco." Fenrir stopped us by speaking softly to my mate. Draco stood still, looking down at the ground while one of his hands pet the dragon in his arms. "Do you understand what is going on right now?" He asked carefully. Draco nodded slowly, still not looking up.

"Y-Yes, sir." His voice trembled, nervously. I sat down on behind Draco, letting my furry side brush against his shoulders, reassuring him. "I'm going to live with you and the werewolves because my... I was hurt."

"Good. You must understand, Draco, things are going to be a lot different from now on. We sleep in caves and bathe in rivers. We each take a part in taking care of one another and you will have to as well. Do you understand?" Fenrir spoke calm and slow, trying to catch Draco's eye. He never looked up but I could tell he was listening.

"I understand. I-I saw people working a lot. I know I have to work hard too." Draco's voice dropped to a scared whisper. I doubted he was afraid of the work in any way. I think he was just afraid of his life changing so quickly.

"I'm Fenrir, the pack leader. I make sure everone is safe. Bill will be taking care of you now. He's a good man, he'll be your friend." Fenrir assured Draco before kneeling in front of the boy. He wrapped him in a hug, reassuring him. I would have smiled at this if I had the face for it.

After several moments, Fenrir helped Draco climb onto my back. He held his dragon close as his tiny fists clutched fur. I wanted to walk slow, so I didn't jostle him too much. But at the same time, we needed to be far away from the wizards, now. Fenrir ran behind me, covering my back as I lead the way. It was strange given our roles but I knew it was only because of the precious bundle on my back.

_I'm not sure how Draco being human will go over with the pack. But I will back up whatever decision you and the boy make._ Fenrir assured me as we moved. I frowned. I didn't consider that part.

I saw no reason Draco wouldn't want to be a werewolf. We're a very close knit, protective species. We take care of each other very well and fight hard to protect our lands, to protect our families. No, I didn't see a down side to being a werewolf. But I had every intention of allowing Draco to make his choice regarding species and regarding me. I will love him no matter what he is. But if he chooses to be human, I will have to do my best to foresake being a wolf, move away from my pack. If Draco is human, he can't belong in the pack.

For now, since he is a child, there is no trouble in him being a human. Its when he is an adult that he must make the choice. So I don't believe its necessary to bring it up any time soon. And aparently, Fenrir didn't think it was a dire subject yet. There was time to worry about it later. Right now, we should only worry about settling Draco in with the pack, making it his new home. Where no one would dare hurt him.

**Fenrir's POV**

The child was an interesting concept to say the least. Although he was a wizard, he wasn't trained. What little magic he had inside him was still easily influenced. Going by what a coward his father was, this was probably the best thing for him. I can see by the way my best friend, my beta looks at him that they are indeed mates.

Its happened often enough in the past, a grown werewolf finding that their mate was a child at the time. And it was never an issue. There was never a case where any form of romance or sex was pushed on a mate too soon. Werewolves were naturally family centered and their mates were beloved. I have no doubt in my mind that Bill would never touch the kid until he was a legal adult, in the muggle world.

The child, Draco just seemed to be a different case. Some werewolves find their mate among their own kind. Others wizards or muggles. It was just strange that Bills mate happened to be the son of Voldemorts beta. Which, thankfully, wouldn't have much effect on the negotiations.

I originally chose to keep the pack in the dark about being involved with wizards but Bill persuaded me otherwise. Much of them weren't too happy, as he was. But I felt strongly about this. Whoever these wizards were, they would make a big impact on their world. And going by Voldemorts power, I wouldn't doubt it if he took over. This was just precaution. If I occasionally do things for him, benefitting him, the pack would be safe when he siezed control.

The pack is worth it.

Once we were back on pack lands, Bill slowed down. This made Draco a little more comfortable, enough to sit up. I couldn't help but snort. Bill was a great and powerful wolf. I respected him greatly due to his skills and his natural wisdom. He was a magnificent brown wolf with the stance and confidence of an alpha... with a cute child riding his back like a placid pony. I couldn't help but laugh at the contradiction.

Of course, Bill didn't think it was so funny, how ironic the two fit together. He huffed in my direction before turning away. I smiled to myself as my best friend decided to take his mate down to the lake first. Shaking my head, I continued on my way to the caves.

These were definitely strange times.

**Thoughts? Reviews?**

**Ashtin**


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